Neurological Assessment

Question 1

What are the goals of clinical NP assessment ?

Answer 1

Assess level of cognitive functioning, to identify dysfunction and localise it (dissociation)

Provide an objective measure

Provide information for the rehabilitative progress

Be sensitive to mild impairments which may otherwise be missed (e.g. traumatic brain injury)

Provide corroborating evidence of abnormality where imaging would fail to identify structural abnormalities (e.g. epilepsy)

Determine efficacy of treatments

Provide patient and family with understanding of condition

Assess for mood disorders

Question 2

What are methods of clinicial assessment?

Answer 2

• Pen and Paper
• Standarised compuerised tests
• Test batteries

Question 3

What are Test batteries?

Answer 3

Collections of tests assessing differetn cognitive functions

Question 4

What are results from test batteries compared with to assess deficits?

Answer 4

Normative samples

Question 5

What is the hierarchy to cognitive functions?

Answer 5

Sensation and perception -> Visuospaital processing -> Executive function -> Attention -> Memory -> Psychomotor speed -> Language skills

Question 6

What is attention?

Answer 6

Selective processing of certain stimuli

Question 7

How can attention be assessed?

Answer 7

Trail making - sselective attention - join the dots in ascending order of th enumbers as quickly as possible

Question 8

Why some test batteries vary?

Answer 8

Some require more theroital expertise and more qualititive while others do not require much knowledge to administer

Question 9

What are the characteristics of an ideal test battery?

Answer 9

• Capture the spectrum of different cognitive functions and separate them
• Good psychometric properties (E.g Reliability, Validity, Sensitivity)
• Translational
• Large normative database
• Verified

Question 10

What is translational meaning in ideal test batteries?

Answer 10

Directly related to neural cirucitry and neurochemical systems

Question 11

What is the CANTAB?

Answer 11

Computerised suite of neuropsychological tests examining a range of cognitive functions

Question 12

What are the limits of the standardised approach to NP assessment?

Answer 12

• New constructs are made
• Long process to collect norms
• Norm may not be applicable to patient

Question 13

What are the goals of cognitive NP assessment?

Answer 13

• Aim to advance therory on neural underpinning of pscyhological functions
• Associations and dissociations between different psychological functions
• Same as clinical assessent
• Experimental

Question 14

What is experimental in congitive NP assessment?

Answer 14

Focussed on research question or topic (e.g people presenting with a paritcular cognitive impariment)

Question 15

What is an example of a test battery with a large sample?

Answer 15

Luria- Nebraska Battery (Golden, 1981)

Question 16

What is the Emotion recongition task in THE CANTAB?

Answer 16

• Series of faces shown
• Particiapnts identify expression of face from 6 basic emotions (e.g happiness, anger, disgust, fear, sadness)

Question 17

What is the limitation of the Emtoion recognition task?

Answer 17

The only social cognition test in CANTAB

Question 18

Types of assessment

Answer 18

• Clinical
• Cognitive

Question 19

Wht are clinical assements?

Answer 19

• For patient use
• Assessment after brain injury/neuro disorder
• In a healthcare setting
• Clinican administered

Question 20

What are congitive assessment?

Answer 20

• For advancing theory/developing treatments
• More focussed assesssment of cognitive function after injury/disease
• Research setting
• Concerned with a specfic function, locus of damage or research question

Question 21

What are the goals of clinical NP assessment?

Answer 21

Assess level of cognitive functioning, to identify dysfunction and localise it (dissociation)

Provide an objective measure

Provide information for the rehabilitative progress

Be sensitive to mild impairments which may otherwise be missed (e.g. traumatic brain injury)

Provide corroborating evidence of abnormality where imaging would fail to identify structural abnormalities (e.g. epilepsy)

Determine efficacy of treatments

Provide patient and family with understanding of condition

Assess for mood disorders

Question 22

What is malingering?

Answer 22

The intentional production of false or grossly exaggerated physical or psychological symptoms, motivated by external incentives such as avoiding work, obtaining financial compensation, evading criminal prosecution, or obtaining drugs

Question 23

What is malingering in neuropsychology?

Answer 23

Exaggerating deficits in performance on cognitive tests

Question 24

What is used for object recongition?

Answer 24

Birmingham Object Recognition Battery (BORB)

Question 25

What battery is used for face perception of age and gender?

Answer 25

Philadephia face perception battery

Question 26

What is the Cambridge face perception test?

Answer 26

• Sorting images in order of the similiartity to the face at the top, with the most similar on the left and least similar on the right

Question 27

What is the Cambridge face memory test?

Answer 27

Leearning a series of faces and asking to choose which out of the faces they seen before

Question 28

What impairments did patient EM have?

Answer 28

• Emotional expressions
• Face perception
• Face memory

Question 29

What did not get damaged in patient EM?

Answer 29

• IQ
• Memory
• Objects
• Age
• Gendr

Question 30

What is the meaning behind Bruce and Young’s model of face processing?

Answer 30

• Deficints in the structure encoding stage will also influence the memory stage
• If it cant be precieved then it cant be remembered

Question 31

What was conlcuded from the 14 week online training progamme for patient EM?

Answer 31

Face perception can be improved but further stdies needed to know how it can be applied in different subtypes/ages etc